(1) Whenever the inhabitants of any territory not embraced within the limits of any existing municipality desire to be organized into a city or town, they shall file a petition for incorporation of such city or town with the district court of the county within which such territory, or any part thereof, is situate. The petition shall be signed by not less than one hundred fifty of the registered electors who are landowners and residents within the territory or, in cases where the territory involved is wholly situate in a county having a population of twenty-five thousand or less, signed by forty such registered electors who are landowners and residents and shall: (a) Describe the territory proposed to be embraced in such city or town, which description shall determine the boundaries thereof; (b) Have attached thereto an accurate map or plat thereof on a scale no less than one inch to one thousand feet; (c) State the name proposed for such city or town; (d) Be accompanied with satisfactory proofs of the number of inhabitants within the territory embraced within the limits of the proposed city or town, which proofs shall be based upon the last preceding federal census, as adjusted according to the records of the county planning office or other county records. At the time of the filing of said petition, the petitioners shall file a bond, in an amount to be determined and approved by the court, to cover the expenses connected with the proceedings in case the incorporation is not effected. In no case shall there be incorporated in such city or town any undivided tract of land consisting of forty or more acres lying within the proposed limits of such city or town without the consent of the owners thereof. (1.5) The petition may include a request for submission to the electors of the proposed municipality at the incorporation election of any matter permitted to be submitted at the election pursuant to section 31-2-102 (1.5). (2) No such petition shall be filed where any portion of the boundaries of the proposed city or town is within one mile from the boundaries of any existing municipality, unless the territory proposed to be included within such city or town is composed of three hundred twenty acres or more. (2.5) (a) In addition to any other notice that may be required under this part 1, whenever the number of registered electors within the area that is the subject of a petition filed pursuant to subsection (1) of this section is less than two thousand five hundred persons, notice of the filing of the petition shall be sent by first-class mail to each person owning real property within the area at the address shown for such owner in the records of the county assessor's office. The cost of mailing the notice required by this paragraph (a) shall be borne by the petitioners. (b) The notice required by paragraph (a) of this subsection (2.5) shall include the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person who is able to provide information on the petition to the public, the case number of the civil action concerning the petition, and the district court in which the petition is filed. The notice shall also inform the property owner that, if he or she would like to obtain a copy of the petition, the property owner shall submit to the contact person a request for a copy of the petition along with the payment of a fee. The notice shall specify the amount of the fee and instructions as to the manner in which payment shall be made. The fee charged pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall conform to the requirements of section 24- 72-205 (5)(a), C.R.S. Upon receipt of payment, the contact person shall mail a copy of the petition to the property owner. (c) The notice required by paragraph (a) of this subsection (2.5) shall be sent prior to the date on which the district court makes its findings and determination pursuant to section 31-2- 102 (1). (3) (a) No incorporation election shall be held pursuant to section 31-2-102 unless the court finds that the proposed area of incorporation is urban in character and unless the court additionally finds that: (I) The proposed area of incorporation has an average of at least fifty registered electors residing within the boundaries of the proposed area of incorporation for each square mile of area. (II) Repealed. (III) (Repeal provision deleted by revision.) (b) (I) If the proposed area of incorporation has fewer than five hundred registered electors residing therein, a public hearing shall be held before the board of county commissioners to consider whether the petitioners may hold an incorporation election. Thirty days' notice of the time and place of such hearing shall be given by one publication thereof in a newspaper of general circulation in the county. (II) After public hearing, the board of county commissioners may refuse to permit the incorporation election to be held if the board finds upon satisfactory evidence that: (A) Any of the criteria set forth for special districts in section 32-1-203 (2), C.R.S., exist with respect to the area proposed for incorporation; (B) Annexation to a nearby municipality would avoid unnecessary duplication of the services referred to in sub-subparagraph (A) of this subparagraph (II); and (C) The proposed incorporation is inconsistent with any applicable county or regional comprehensive plan. (III) If the proposed area of incorporation includes more than one county, the board of county commissioners of each county included may meet and devise a procedure for a joint hearing to determine whether the petitioners may hold an incorporation election. (4) If, at any time between the filing of a petition pursuant to this section and not less than ten days prior to the date of the election thereon, there is filed with the court any subsequent petition which meets the requirements of this part 1 and which embraces any of the territory embraced in the initial petition calling for such election, the court may order that all such proposals contained in the said petitions filed with the court be submitted to the registered electors of the territories embraced by such petitions, to be voted on at one election, in the alternative. The court may order the rescission of any prior call of an election, discharge any commissioners previously appointed, and order the appointment of a new commission to call the election on all such proposals, or the court may order the inclusion of the subsequent proposals in the call of an election by the originally appointed commissioners.
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